Love Starts With A Mismade Potion
by Drachegirl14
Summary: PRMF Claire accidentally mixes a lust potion when trying to help the Rangers out; chaos ensues as the Rangers now have to fight their feelings for each other and try to balance their ranger duties. Maddick Chida XanderOC DaggeronOC
1. Chapter 1

**Drachegirl14: I hate random plot bunnies. I really do. Especially when they move into my brain and besiege the school work part of my brain with random plots I REALLY want to write.**

**Summary: Claire accidentally mixes a lust potion when trying to help the Rangers out; chaos ensues as the Rangers now have to fight their feelings for each other and try to balance their ranger duties.**

**Pairings: Nick/Madison, Vida/Chip, Xander/OC, Daggeron/OC**

**Rating: M. Please do not read if you are underage.**

**Note: I'm placing this between Scaredy Cat and Long Ago – at least this chapter is.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Mystic Force, any characters within the show, any ideas or concepts already in place in the season, etc. I do own Nyx, Niemi and the incantation of the potion and the antidote is solely my own. Kay thanks.**

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><p>Claire was a bit upset.<p>

Okay, maybe more than a bit. This was, after all, her fifth try on this potion. It shouldn't be this hard!

The story as to why she should've been practicing outside on the warm summer's day that was blessing Briarwood was simple; she knew the rangers had a tough time with the last battle against that new mummy monster and so thought that she would brew a simple strengthening potion in order to assist them, so they wouldn't be so hard-pressed to fight the next monster.

But it was damn frustrating, because the first two brews hadn't turned the right colors, the third smelled worse than Phineas, and the fourth one had simply turned into water after she added the last ingredient! So this time, Claire was determined to get it right. She had carefully gone through the strengthening potion recipe in her potion book; she had double-checked she had enough of all the ingredients and made sure they were the right ones. She had stoked the flames under her cauldron to a warm red blaze, and her black stone cauldron was now clean and ready for the new batch of potion.

Hesitantly, Claire started by pouring spring water into the cauldron. Next, she reached for the five different colored ground powders she had made earlier that morning; one in each color for each of the rangers. Then, she tossed in a few holly leaves, and added a few silver petals of a rare herb that grew in the mountains down in Southern California. She next added a few more drops of a deep crimson colored liquid and then added some rich grape wine to the concoction. Finally, Claire clapped her hands together and added a small heart shaped piece of gold into the potion, which sparked silvery-red and then gave out copious amounts of white smoke.

Delighted that things seemed to be going okay, Claire began to stir the potion counter-clockwise and added a few more random herbs. As she squinted over at the worn book on the table next to her, she zeroed in on the final ingredient.

_1 scale of a fish, large in size and silvery gray in color_

Claire nearly squealed - she was almost done! She almost had a successful strengthening potion brew! Humming happily, she skipped over to the shelf where she knew the fish scales were contained; reaching up on her tiptoes, she began to grope for the small ceramic jar of fish scales on the wooden shelf above her head. As she grasped the object successfully, however, she pulled it towards her, and her hand knocked over a vial next to the jar. This triggered a grail to tip over, and fall into a small phial of blue liquid, which then rolled into a small round heavy looking marble, and so on, triggering a reaction of various things on the shelf knocking each other over, and a few falling to the floor and shattering into thousands of pieces. The domino effect continued all the way around the room, for the shelf circled the wall and held many important potion ingredients, and finally ended right next to where the jar of scales had sat before she had accidentally started knocking things over.

"Oh no!" Claire groaned, holding the jar of scales. Frustrated, she put the jar down by the cauldron and then went to go look for her broom and the extra vials and containers to hold the dry ingredients that had spilled onto the ground.

If she had looked around before leaving the room, she would have seen an open phial of clear liquid spill over the edge of the shelf and into her cauldron. The potion emitted a hiss and the smoke turned to shimmering dark red vapor for the quickest of seconds before returning to white smoke.

Claire re-entered the main room of Rootcore, quickly cleaning up all the spilt ingredients and shattered glass and ceramic tile and straightening the shelves, before returning her attention to her potion. She picked up the large light wooden stirring spoon and began to stir again, clockwise this time. Carefully, she added 1 fish scale, the biggest one she could find in the jar, and the potion hissed again, turning pale silver. Claire let out a triumphant whoop and finished quickly; waiting until she was sure it had finished mixing, and pouring the mixture into five goblets for the rangers.

"Claire!" Udonna's voice rang through Rootcore, "Claire, are you practicing?"

"In a moment Udonna!" Claire called back, finishing up pouring the last of Xander's drink into his goblet. "I'm finishing a project!"

She took the silence as a confirmation of her fact and cleaned her cauldron hastily, working to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and warm summer zephyrs that often raced through the woods and made the leaves on the trees dance merrily. Before she exited the room, she needed to finish the potion by saying the incantation . . . which wasn't written in her book.

"Darn it," Claire muttered, "I know I memorized it!" She thought hard, pacing the dirt floor in the room and trying to not look longingly outside. This was important; she had to get this right to help the Rangers out.

"Aha!" She said, her mind hitting upon words she dimly recalled having read when looking up different kinds of potions. Claire wasn't one hundred percent certain it was the right incantation, but she was almost positive it was. Even if it wasn't, the wrong words couldn't affect the potion too badly . . . "_Rafforzare il legame tra mente e corpo, portare alla luce i desideri piu profondi e invitano coloro che bevono con i sogni della notte e del giorno, che diventeranno piu forti del legame che viene visualizzato tra i loro sogni, i loro pensieri e le loro azioni!_" Relieved to finally be finished, Claire dashed for the door so she could go practice outside in the summer air.

She didn't hear the potion emit a low hiss as she left, nor did she see each of the liquid in the goblets suddenly turned the color of milky white pearls. She didn't smell the suddenly seductive scent lazily twisting through the air from the white liquid, and she was too preoccupied with beginning her practices to notice the sudden warmth of the room as she left.

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><p>Nick didn't know what to make of this.<p>

Yesterday, when he and the other Rangers had reported to Rootcore for more magic education, Claire had presented them all with Strengthening Potions, meant to increase their ability to deal with the tougher monsters that they fought on an almost daily basis.

It wasn't that they weren't grateful for her help; more like her spells and potions went wrong more often than not every time she tried. Claire swore up and down that she had double and triple-checked everything and used a recipe from her potion book, so that nothing could have gone wrong, but Nick was still hesitant. Eventually, after much pleading and begging on Claire's part, Xander, Chip, Madison, and himself and Vida had taken their respective goblets, and taken deep drinks of the liquid. Udonna had been present during their drinks, and she had explained that the slightly fishy taste of the potion was normal in all potions dealing with strength. Buoyed by the fact that potion tasted exactly as she had described, the Rangers drank ever last drop of the potion.

That night, tired after a long practice, Nick had practically fallen into bed, wearing loose sweatpants he usually wore. This was normal; Nick could fall asleep pretty quickly.

What Nick didn't understand was the dream he had that night.

He had been fixing his bike, and the heat was sweltering, so he had removed his shirt, grateful for the slight breeze against his sweat-slicked skin. While he had been working, he had gotten thirsty and so headed inside the Rock-Porium for a drink. Once inside . . .

Madison had been there, behind the counter and looking at some magazines of Toby's. And suddenly, he felt fire race through his veins, a burning desire to claim what he privately thought of as his. His eyes darkened with the intensity of the feelings and he raked them down her form; she was wearing the typical uniform they all had to wear whenever they worked, but for some reason, it seemed a little bit tighter around her chest area than usual. She had looked up at him, and smiled that brilliant beautiful smile that lit up her face and made her eyes glow. She had pulled her hair back out of her face, revealing the smooth unmarked section of her neck that beckoned to him. Nick felt his pants tighten and couldn't rip his eyes away, even if he had wanted to, and he didn't.

The blue mystic ranger left her perch behind the counter to greet him at the door, still smiling, and he couldn't take it anymore. He reached out and pulled her supple body to him, crushing her close and slamming his lips to hers. His hands planted themselves, one into the roots of her hair to keep her lips with his and the other on the small of her back, keeping her soft pliant body to his. Nick inhaled greedily through his nose and smelled the sweet ocean's breeze and the smell of the air after a rainstorm, a potent aphrodisiac that drove him even further into the embrace of erotic rapture that had captured him.

He felt skin on skin and his Madison was suddenly naked as the day she was born and he didn't care, because the sizzling heat that was created everywhere his skin touched hers was more than enough to drive a lesser man to his knees and simply stoked the flames of desire to a brilliant blaze inside his blood. He had to have her, take her, taste her, make her his.

His lips left hers and trailed down the side of her cheek to the smooth flesh of her neck, where he nipped and then latched on to one spot that made Madison moan and whimper with each suckle and lick to her skin.

"Nick," she said, her voice breathy and full of desire. A jolt ran through him when she moaned his name again, full of passion that he knew was only for him. A dark streak of possessiveness and desire emerged in him, stronger than before, and he lifted her up, pinning her to the stone wall that had appeared in front of him. Her long legs wrapped around his waist, and he noticed with some dismay that his pants were still present, and then he didn't care, because Maddie's hands had started wandering, raking her nails down his back, pulling him fully into her and her alone.

"Mine!" Nick hissed darkly, suddenly needing to remind her exactly who she belonged to. He crushed her lips in a bruising kiss, his tongue demanding entrance to her sweet mouth as his hips began to move against hers, letting out a moan of his own when pure pleasure ran through his body at the action. He repeated it, his tongue dueling hers as they began to move together in a dance as old as time itself.

Nothing else mattered except them; Nick could care less if the world itself was burning around them. The liquid fire burning in his veins and the heat dancing on his nerves stopped him from thinking about anything but the woman in his arms, her large doe eyes locked on his as he moved with her, and he was struck by the thought that she was so beautiful, so perfect, with the expression of sweetest pleasure on her face and her eyes slightly hazy. He reached a hand up to gently caress her cheek but his expression turned from dark passion to one akin to horror.

She was fading from him, simply vanishing and leaving him alone.

"Maddie?" He called desperately, trying to reach for her in his arms. "Maddie?" She did not reappear and he felt the strangest sensation in his body, like he was swimming and heading up towards the surface. Nick fought hard against it, trying to find his Madison again.

It did no good; Nick resurfaced violently to reality, at two in the morning. There was stillness in the shadows that wrapped around him, and pale moonlight of the last sliver of moon still lit in the sky spilled through his window. The sheets pooled around his waist from where he had sat up, dazed and confused, until he began to understand it was a dream. He pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and he tried to slow his breathing and calm the raging beast between his legs.

Nick remained in his position, mulling over the dream and thinking back to what could have caused such a large spike in his hormones. He came to the conclusion that he wasn't certain what to make of it. He knew what it meant of course – he had watched the shy blue mystic ranger for a long time, ever since he had arrived in Briarwood. She was so kind, had so much strength inside of her, and he admired her for her attitude and respected her for her abilities as a Ranger. He treasured her friendship and somewhere along the line, had begun to fall for her. Hard.

This wouldn't have been the first time the thought to kiss her crossed his mind, and it wasn't as though he'd never thought about sex or the like (or even experienced it; he knew quite a few things about the carnal arts), but this was the first time his dream had been so passionate, so vivid, so _real_. He could still feel her smooth skin against his, could still see clearly her beautiful eyes filled with passion, could still smell the soothing scent that he had long ago simply labeled "Maddie".

Sighing in frustration, Nick got off the bed and headed for the tiny cramped bathroom in his little apartment. He was in need of a cold shower and potentially his left hand if the shower didn't work and his thoughts persisted in returning to his dream, and where he and Maddie would be if his dream hadn't been interrupted.

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><p><strong>Drachegirl14: Okay, so that's the end of the chapter! This won't be an incredibly long story; I try to hit 2,500 words, and the next chapters will focus on introducing the lust problem from the perspectives of the other Rangers as well as introducing Xander's part of the pairing.<strong>

**I used Latin for the incantation, here is the translation****:**

**Strengthen the bond between mind and body, bring forth the deepest desires and tempt those who drink with dreams of night and day, stronger they will become from the bond that is shown between their dreams, their thoughts, and their actions. **

**Obviously, it's a little mixed up; that is done on purpose. It'll be explained later. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Drache: Here's chapter two!**

**Summary: Claire accidentally mixes a lust potion when trying to help the Rangers out; chaos ensues as the Rangers now have to fight their feelings for each other and balance their ranger duties.**

**Pairings: Nick/Madison, Vida/Chip, Xander/OC, Daggeron/OC**

**Rating: M. Please do not read if you are underage.**

**Note: **_**Words that are in italics like these**_** indicate thoughts. Also, this chapter introduces Nyx (Ni-ks) and Niemi (Nigh-ay-may) and is set at the beginning of Long Ago.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Mystic Force, any characters within the show, any ideas or concepts already in place in the season, etc. I do own Nyx, Niemi and the incantation of the potion and the antidote is solely my own. Kay thanks.**

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><p>Madison Rocca jolted straight up in bed, panting, sweating, and trembling as the last vestiges of her highly passionate dream slowly faded from her mind. The sheets pooled around her waist as the moonlight peeked in through her window, the gentle silvery rays settling across her large oversized blue t-shirt she wore to bed. Her dark eyes wandered over her room as she attempted to calm her breathing; past posters of famous actors and her favorite music groups, over pictures, a radio clock with bright red numbers that told her the time was 1:53 A.M. and onto the tiny white lamp that cluttered the top of her bedside table. Over the simple wooden dresser where she folded most of her clothes, and her closet that was filled with jeans, nice clothes, and skimpy pieces of cloth that Vida had gotten for her that would never see the light of day on her body.<p>

The Blue Ranger pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes, trying to shake off what had been such a realistic dream. She hadn't even been able to tell the difference between her being asleep and her being awake – she knew now that this was reality but in her dream . . . her wonderful, amazing, passionate dream . . .

She had been working the counter at Rock Podium and sneaking gazes out the window at Nick working across the street on his bike, shirtless. The sun gleamed off his sweat slicked bronze skin and his muscles rippled each time he did the simplest thing. She had fallen for their leader's bold attitude, his somewhat rough but kind demeanor and his beautiful green eyes. Maddie loved how he always seemed to know how to cheer her up and that he was strong and had a fantastic smile that made her knees go weak, how he was her friend and clearly cared about her. And yes, although she didn't consider herself that shallow, she was a healthy teenage girl and would have to be blind if she didn't find him handsome . . . attractive . . . down right sexy.

He had glanced up at the sun and turned to come inside, probably to grab a drink. She had quickly busied herself with a magazine, the glossy pages smooth under her fingertips and the pictures going unseen as she strained her ears to catch the sound of the door opening. When the bell above the door jingled, she looked up, a smile automatically stretching across her lips, a soft one tinged with shyness and warmth that she saved especially for him.

He had looked at her, normally beautiful bright green eyes seeming to darken and he had raked his eyes over her, causing her to feel a bit nervous. Nick usually wasn't that forward, she couldn't even be sure he liked her the same way. Still, he was standing at the door and she decided to approach him, since he didn't look like he was going to move any time soon.

She left her position behind the counter to walk towards him and she had seen his eyes flash once, before he reached out and pulled him to her, sealing his lips to hers. She was sure she squeaked in surprise as his powerful hands placed themselves on her body, on at her back to keep her close to him, and one in her hair, to keep her lips to his. Coherent thought became difficult as his lips ravaged hers and she enjoyed every moment, his passion for her burning as hot as his element did. She inhaled through her nose and smelled a delicious mix of a fire on a summer's evening and something spicy, a scent combination uniquely his and something that seemed to heighten the pleasure she got from his kisses. She could feel her body responding to his and a strange tension began to boil in her body and gave a slight release on floodgates that began to ready her to join with him.

Maddie's thoughts fled every which way and a spell idly floated to the forefront of her mind, and although she didn't speak it, the spell took effect nonetheless once she acknowledged it in her mind. _Excruis indiore . . . _Her clothes seemed to fizzle and vanish, like water evaporating from a heated surface, leaving her completely naked. She didn't have time to be shy, because the skin on skin contact of her chest against his drove away all other feeling except this heat and the burning desire he seemed to ignite and stoke within her.

The store was fading out around them, leaving them in total darkness and it didn't matter as he ripped his lips away from hers and left little kisses down her cheek to her neck, where he latched onto a spot that suddenly sent her climbing towards a point higher and higher, closer and closer to release and putting the earlier burn to shame as the flames of desire within her suddenly roared from a little flame to a bonfire with each nip of his teeth and pass of his tongue on her skin. Whimpers and moans rose in her throat and she released them into the charged atmosphere that was silent except for Nick's ragged breathing through his mouth, even as he kept up the onslaught of passion against her. Her mind was now completely blank, and all she could do was feel even when she felt him bite down firmer than her had before, and she responded with his name, "Nick!"

Maddie felt herself being lifted and firmly placed against a smooth stone wall that seemed just as warm as she was, her legs automatically locking around his hips as his strong hands hoisted her up so her wet dark curls and the treasured area they guarded pressed firmly against his hips and in turn his own hardened arousal. He had moved his lips away from her neck and her hazy dark eyes devoured the sight of him, his eyes filled with fire and a dark intensity that stole her breath away and empowered a feeling a feminine satisfaction, that she could inspire such a depth of feeling within him. Her eyes dropped to his slightly swollen lips that were parted with panting breaths and then lower to his naked muscular chest. She lifted her hands from where they had slid to his shoulders during the first fiery kiss and raked her nails down his chest, hearing a hiss slip between Nick's lips and knowing she had done something he liked.

He pinned her fully to the wall with his body and her eyes moved back up to his, as he spoke in a growl that was full of something dangerous and sexy and possessive, "Mine!" Nick reclaimed her lips with his own and his tongue darted out to demand entrance to her mouth, which she gladly granted even as she felt the need to shift and apply pressure against her womanhood. Before she could move, Nick's hips had begun to, rocking against hers in a way that was agonizingly perfect and echoing his moan of approval with her own.

Nothing else mattered now – he had ignited and created these flames within her and had stoked them to a brilliant blaze that lit up her body and heated her blood, sparks of pleasure danced along her nerves and she was climbing higher and higher towards that one elusive point and he was driving her towards it and she could feel how close she was becoming, sure that it echoed on her face and she was almost THERE and-

That's when she had bolted up, her body so close to release and yet not able to strive for it without him, without Nick there.

Madison groaned and kicked her sheets away, standing on smooth plush blue carpeting that matched her blue walls. She quietly tiptoed towards her door and entered the small hallway, heading towards the bathroom.

The door was slightly ajar and the light was turned on, to which Maddie frowned. Who else was awake this early in the morning?

She got her answer when she pushed open the white wood door to the black and white tiled bathroom and found a haggard looking Vida muttering to herself about how the dream wasn't real. "Vi?"

Vida's head snapped up to the mirror and then she turned to face her sister with a frown, "Hey Maddie – did I wake you?"

"No," Madison answered, "I just woke up and needed a glass of water."

"Nightmare?" Vida smirked, but it wasn't a cocky one like it usually was. There was a soft teasing there, reserved only for her friends and sister, and the fact that she was pale and her eyes retained a bit of haziness that Maddie knew she had just seen in her dream on Nick's face . . .

"No . . . a really good dream," Madison sighed and blushed as she approached the white ceramic sink and filled a small disposable cup from the silver tap.

"Maddie!" Vida's exclamation was soft, mindful of their sleeping parents, but still shocked and astonished, "Was it a-"

"Yes!" Madison cut her sister off with a squeak, turning an even darker shade of crimson. Trying to find a way to turn the tables on her sister, she drank her water and then looked at her sister with some concern, "What about you? You look kinda pale."

Vida froze for a second before she relaxed, "Just a weird one."

Madison watched her sister for a moment, before deciding she was too tired to try and pry it out of Vida now. "Okay. Go back to sleep."

"Yeah, you too," Vida said, following her sister out the door and turning off the light. She headed into her room, which was directly across the hallway, as Madison walked down the hall to hers.

Maddie waited until she heard the sound of Vida's door closing quietly before she closed her own and climbed back into bed, trying to convince herself that it was normal to have the dreams about her team leader and friend. It was okay.

It was.

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><p>Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. And it was SCARY.<p>

Maddie noted the fake smiles, the overly forced cheerful demeanors that morning as the Rangers met up outside the tree to Rootcore. What's more, the blue mystic ranger's eyes caught how Chip would stare dazedly at her sister before he would blink and force his gaze away, a blush staining his freckled cheeks. Her sister wouldn't even look at Chip, and replied to any questions with one word answers. She saw how Xander, though seeming normal and vain as usual, would occasionally stare off into space with a dreamy smile. Nick's eyes had faint dark circles under them and he would stare at her with that same intensity she dreamed about last night, at least until she looked at him. Then he would look away and pretend to be interested in the strained and tense small talk. When she would glance away, she could see from the corner of her eye that he would return to starring at her.

It made her heart beat fast and her knees feel weak and her panties (the only red pair she owned with a matching red bra) grow slightly damp, but she too joined in the pretending, if only to ignore how she felt (and was still feeling) from last night's trip into her erotic fantasies.

After she had gone back to bed, the dreams flowed quickly around her, changing as unpredictably as the waves in the ocean did. There were tender dreams, of soft kisses, moonlit picnics, walks on the beach at sunset, cuddles in front of a warm fire in the dead of winter, a soft slow dance at their wedding . . . and then there were the fiery passionate dreams, where they had been fighting in the forest and he had taken her against the tree, where he had been so jealous of another boy he pulled her close and gave her the best first kiss ever in the history of kisses, where they had made violent desperate love to each other as the world was plunged into darkness . . .

"Well, we won't get anything done by standing around here all day," Chip said with forced cheerfulness at the awkward pause in conversation, and all the rangers agreed. It was interesting how they tree-traveled to Rootcore without touching the person whom they were seemingly ignoring, but when they arrived at the forest and Udonna was waiting for them to get inside for their training, the Rangers had to try and put away the strangeness that settled over them.

If they had stayed a few moments longer, they would have seen a car pulling up in front of the Rock Porium. It was a nice car, clearly new, its black paint gleaming in the sunlight. A fat mean-looking red haired girl with squinty watery eyes was smiling in a wicked way at two thin looking girls who appeared to be twins, just as she opened the door and shoved them roughly from the car, following after them to stand over the two girls as though lording some triumph over them. A tall red haired lady with a sour face exited the vehicle, opened the back end, and threw two small knapsacks at them from the trunk and said in a high pitched grating voice, "There, now get out of my sight, you heathens!"

The fat girl laughed and climbed in to the back seat as the sour faced woman slammed the trunk closed and walked around to the passenger side, rudely bumping one of the girls out of the way as she did so. She opened the door and got in, saying something with a saccharine sweet smile to a dazed looking man who bore a vague resemblance to Toby. Whatever she said had the man nodding as though in a trance and the car pulled away, leaving the two girls looking rather alone on the sidewalk.

Both girls had shoulder length dark hair, the same oval face, and pale skin. The one on the right wore a dark green t-shirt and dark blue jeans with black hiking boots. The other girl on the left wore a dark blue sleeveless button up blouse with a crisp color, black slacks, and black dress boots. Neither girl wore any jewelry, and the girl on the left stared after the car with a murderous expression while the one on the right looked around nervously and seemed to shy into her sister's side.

"I'm scared Nyx," the girl on the right whispered, having retrieved her pack from the ground and gripping her sister's hand tightly.

The girl on the left gave up her murderous stare in favor of a gentle smile at her younger half, although to most passer-by on the street, her look was blank, and her eyes were dead. "It'll be alright Niemi, you'll see. Uncle Toby will be great for us." Nyx gave her sister's hand a reassuring squeeze and the two girls walked into the Rock Porium together.

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><p><strong>Drache: Well there it is, chapter two. I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it, but we'll just have to see if you guys like it. I feel as though I needed to put much more emphasis on the others, but this IS mainly a MaddieNick story, and thus the other couples are more like the flourish notes in a song – not the focus but still there. I will have their scenes, don't worry. They'll all get some fluffy chappie time . . .**

**Nyx and Niemi are my own creations, so please do not steal them. Cookie goes to whoever guesses their purpose here! Get creative too guys.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Drache: Okay, I had someone PM me asking about my update schedule, so I thought I'd put it in here.**

**I write the next chapter before I post the previous one – meaning that the second chapter was mostly written before the first was posted, same with this one and the second chapter etc. This is because my muse has been known to die out in the early chapters of multichapter fics, no matter what I have planned, so I keep writing now so you guys can enjoy later.**

**I also want to apologize for my misuse of the Latin in the last chapter – I think it's fairly obvious I don't speak Latin, though I do speak some French, and I did the best I could. I apologize if I offended as that was certainly not my intention.**

**Here's the third chapter – this one will follow the episode with some deviations (noting how the story began). So here we go!**

**NOTE: As usual, thoughts are in italics.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN POWER RANGERS MYSTIC FORCE. The only thing I own is this plot idea, and since it's intertwined with canon, I don't even think I can say that. I do not own the dialogue of the episodes or the events within, etc. I own Nyx and Niemi.**

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><p>When the rangers finished traveling by tree to Rootcore, the tension was even more awkward and nervous, and Udonna noticed.<p>

The white sorceress couldn't say exactly what was bothering her rangers; they all seemed to avoid one specific person, stealing glances at that one person, but acting forcefully cheerful in order to avoid the elephant in the room, as humans would say.

Udonna clapped her hands together, and she watched as they all seemed to jump a bit, still avoiding their other person; surprisingly, Xander didn't avoid anyone and the red haired woman noticed how Vida and Chip and Madison and Nick avoided it . . . well, Nick stared intensely at Madison and she would determinedly NOT look in his direction.

"Is something bothering you, Rangers?" she asked in a quiet, knowing tone.

They all glanced at each other somewhat awkwardly and then shook their heads.

"Good. We have team training today and I'd rather nothing interfered with your lesson," she said somewhat sternly; there was a maternal tone, however, that comforted the sting of her words and it seemed to do the trick of diffusing whatever tension had sunk into the air.

They began to smile and really laugh, and they were even able to convince Madison to be blindfolded.

Udonna smiled as she led them up to the upper balcony of Rootcore. "Trust is the key to any team. In order to truly trust each other you must be willing to put your safety in the hands of the team."

Vida had led her sister up the stairs by the hand, and she and Chip stood behind Madison as Nick positioned her front to be facing himself and Xander. The green ranger waved his hand in front of Maddie's face while Nick allowed his hands to linger longer than necessary on Maddie's upper arms. She shivered, feeling the heat from his skin penetrate the white blouse that made up her wizard clothing; the heat from his skin reminded her of her dream last night, and those thoughts seemed to stoke the flames his touch created even though her skin was covered. Moreover, a strange hollow ache began to burn in her lower abdomen region and she could feel her nipples stiffening under her vest.

Madison blushed slightly at her body's reaction to her thoughts, but somehow the warmth was so intoxicating she allowed herself to lean into his touch more than she should have; Nick's sharp eyes caught the slight movement and he felt a dark thrill, eerily reminiscent of his dream from the previous night, shoot through him, and a bizarre sense of possessiveness settled into him even as he allowed a small smile at the reaction to his touch.

_Maddie . . . My beautiful Madison . . ._

He pulled himself out of those thoughts with some difficulty, snapping his fingers around her face immediately after Xander finished waving at her. He nodded when it became clear that Madison was totally sightless, although his heart rate picked up ever so slightly as the tiny voice in the back of his mind asked what would happen should she get hurt without her sight. He shrugged it off, telling himself firmly that with Udonna AND himself and the other team members here, she would be perfectly safe.

"Are you ready Madison?" Udonna asked, her eyes on the blue mystic ranger.

She inhaled shakily and nodded once, her voice calm despite her apparent objections to the contrary, "I think so."

"That's my girl," Nick murmured, "There you go."

She drew strength from his voice, very much wanting him to just hold her right now. She wasn't afraid of the dark but her sight HAD been cut off and it was a rather unnerving experience, especially as it magnified all her other senses . . . his voice, while the source of her strength at the moment, had a warm quality that sent sparks dancing along her nerves and she involuntarily shivered.

"Slowly fall forward," Udonna said, her hand up cautiously before she gestured to the team, not that Maddie could see it. "Your team will catch you."

_I'm not sure about this!_ Maddie thought as she allowed her weight to tip forward and she began to fall. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, never mind that she was already blind, and waited for the impact against the hard floor.

It never came.

Madison could feel Xander's hands on her right arm, steady and strong like the tree, as he was, and she could feel the burning touch of Nick's hands, one on her upper arm and the other on her chest, right over her heart. She couldn't help the heat that rose to her cheeks, staining her face in a pretty soft pink blush, as Xander released her when Nick started to gently push her up. She idly wondered if Nick could feel her heart racing, and then nervously wondered what he would think of it.

"Calm down," His voice was right against her ear as he put her back into place. "I've got you Madison."

She could've melted into a small pool of Maddie goo when he said her name softly and gently like that, and she was immensely disappointed when Nick let go. Her heart cried out softly, wishing he would return his hands to her arms.

The blue mystic mermaid was distracted when Claire walked by with Fireheart and remembered that they were supposed to be team training – she began to fall backwards . . .

And she felt Nick's grasp again, this time his arm around her waist. Frowning, Madison reached up and pushed the blindfold away from her eyes, blinking to adjust to the dim lighting of the internal structure of Rootcore, and she found herself staring into the deep bright green eyes of one Nick Russell.

He had pulled her back up, his one arm circling her waist and keeping her pinned to his chest. "Are you okay Maddie?" Nick asked softly lifting his other hand and gently brushing her cheek with a finger, distracted by the soft smooth skin under his own.

She nodded and looked down and away, her face covered in scarlet, "Uh-huh . . ." Her dark eyes glanced over at the other whom had run after Claire to see Fireheart. "Oh, that's trust for you." Madison glared at the others who were cooing at the baby dragon, before she returned her gaze to Nick, who had slowly and reluctantly released her. "Thanks Nick."

"I wouldn't let you fall Madison," he said seriously, his arms relaxed at his side, but his eyes holding all the fiery promise that he usually had. "I promise."

"I know," she said quietly, her arms coming up to wrap around her waist, still feeling the lingering heat from his muscled arm.

"Rangers!" Udonna broke the peaceful atmosphere, the crystal orb glowing on the table. "Dark magical energy is emitting from the forest!"

Nick didn't remove his eyes from Madison's, even though he tilted his head slightly to the side and called, "We'll go check it out."

* * *

><p>The Rangers had rushed out of Rootcore, eyes wide open for danger. The stiff atmosphere from before was forgotten; in its place was a smooth camaraderie that had been formed from training and fighting alongside with each other for the past few months. They ignored any potential distractions – even Madison didn't notice the small tree frog that was clearly watching them.<p>

Still, there was nothing to be found, no matter where the teens turned their eyes. The sunlight filtered through the canopy of the trees above them, and the slightly humid air charged the Rangers with a nervous energy that was present before every battle. A gentle breeze raced through the leaves and caused a soft and hushed rustling that was soon quieted, and silence once more reigned even though Madison strained her ears to hear any sound.

"It's quiet," Nick was right next to her, his voice full of authority. The delicious sound of his serious tone sent slight chills down her spine, a flood of naughty thoughts through her mind, and also made her stumble slightly, unprepared as she was to hear it.

"Almost too quiet," Chip agreed, from his spot next to Vida. Then, after a beat of silence, "Sorry. I've always wanted to say that." A wide smile danced across his face.

Vida glanced out of the corner of her eye, trying to squash any and all urges of the silly girly smile that was threatening to blossom across her lips at her oldest friend. Chip Thorn stood next to her, just a few steps away, but she was hyper aware of his position. He was slightly behind her, but ready to jump forward at any given moment to defend her.

Despite the fact that she could take care of herself, it was . . . sweet . . . and Vida was slightly unnerved at the fact that she was disturbingly accepting of the fact that Chip would want to protect her. It was amplified by the fact of her very sweet and lustful dreams about her good childhood friend that had plagued her last night; she'd almost had a heart attack when Maddie had padded into their bathroom. The pink mystic ranger had been able to hide her discomfort from her sister but as soon as the mystic mermaid had left the bathroom, Vida had continued to splash water on her face. The images, even now when she was alert for danger (and thrilled for the fight to come), were constantly replaying and burnt into her mind, no matter how hard she tried to distract herself from them. Her time as a vampire turned into a fantasy that Ann Rice would've been proud of, and more so, there were times when it was just a tender loving simple moment, like it had been when they'd sat under the moonlight . . . and even when he'd taken that shot for her . . .

Quietly Vida huffed and refocused her attention away from Chip and onto the situation at hand, and not a moment too soon. A strange feeling was in the quiet wind she could feel in her soul, as a practitioner of wind magic, "I get the feeling . . ." she began to say as she paused near a tree and then continued walking.

A large blue and gold armored creature with red eyes had leapt from behind a tree and took a strong stance behind the rangers, "Who goes there?"

Chip was the first to turn, followed by Vida, then Xander, Maddie, and Nick. Chip placed himself slightly in front of Vida, and Nick did the same with Maddie. Neither girl spared the time or attention to be annoyed, as Vida finished her sentence, "That we're being watched!" Each Ranger took a defensive position, facing the strange creature.

"What brings you children to these dangerous woods?" The creature demanded, pointing one clawed finger at them.

Nick's face darkened, taking the creature's finger for a threat, and he strode forward, making sure to keep the creature in sight, "Give us a second and we'll show you." He stopped and took up an offensive position. "Ha!"

The others all took up their own positions and echoed Nick's battle cry, and they all charged.

However, the creature was ready for them. No matter how hard they threw their punches and kicks, the creature was able to smoothly counter and he not only threw them away but he also aimed a kick in their direction, which they all dodged.

Without even looking at Nick, all the rangers reached for their morphers, each feeling the hard bruises and the pain of screaming muscles that came with being thrown around. But before their fingers even brushed the metal of their cell phones, a voice broke the heavy tension that had formed over the small battle in the clearing.

"WAIT!"

The rangers didn't relax although Maddie, Vida and Chip looked to see their mentor calmly striding into the clearing.

"Watch out!" Nick commanded. "He's evil!"

"No, he's not," Udonna corrected, with a large smile, "He's an old friend!"

The creature demorphed to reveal a somewhat handsome blonde man with slight shadow on his cheeks and chin. His clothing appeared to be from the same era that Udonna's was, and his eyes glimmered with a sharp intelligence. "Udonna!" His voice was deep and he held his arms open for a hug.

Maddie noticed that though he was smiling, it didn't reach his eyes, which seemed to glitter coldly.

Udonna, however, didn't seem to, and she too opened her arms, "Calindor!" She stilled as she approached and folded her arms over her midsection, her fingers interlacing and a confused look crossing her features, "You haven't aged a day."

"I'll explain later," he reassured their mentor.

Vida still felt tense, but when Chip turned to give her a softened smile, she felt herself losing the tension and returning his smile before she remembered things and the smile fell off her face. She watched the smile slide off his face as confusion replaced it, but she forced herself to ignore her treacherous guilt and chose to redirect her attention to their mentor, who stood next to the man who had attacked them. Udonna's smile was radiant and she waved her hand at the rangers, "These are the Mystic Warriors."

Calindor bowed, his hand opening in a way that screamed of a shining knight on a white horse. "The forest will forever be in your debt."

Maddie didn't seem to buy his nice guy act, Vida noted and she silently applauded her sister for putting her hands on her hips and giving both Udonna and Calindor a stern look, suspicion seeping into her tone as she asked, "Who is this guy?"

Udonna grinned. Grinned of all things! Vida was flabbergasted at the true joy that was in that large smile, and she tried to reign in her confused thoughts as their mentor spoke again, "A great warrior!" She turned her smile onto Calindor, who returned it and her hug when she opened her arms.

"And an old friend!" He exclaimed into the hug.

The rangers glanced at one another, before Nick shrugged and stepped forward to welcome Calindor to the fold. The rangers followed his lead, but if their mentor noticed that Chip's greeting was a little less enthusiastic than normal and the somewhat strained smile on Vida's and Maddie's faces, she didn't say anything.

* * *

><p>Toby had been beyond ecstatic to see his nieces. Above the Rock Porium was a small loft area; Toby was an amazing man but his apartment only had one small bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and one bathroom. For two teenage girls? No way.<p>

So he had fixed up the loft. The main living area was newly furnished with brand new carpet, a small TV on a small desk, two book shelves, a cramped closet, two narrow chests of drawers, and a very comfy looking futon. There was cable running to the TV, and Toby had gone all out by getting them a protected wireless Internet signal for their laptops. There was a teeny kitchen with a sink and a bit of counter space as well as a very small stove and only a few cupboards. An old fridge that didn't match the rest of the décor was stuffed into a corner and a table that could comfortable seat two was next to it. The only other room was a bathroom which had a toilet, a sink, a mirror-cupboard, and a shower stall that was meant for showers only.

Still, it was clean and everything worked. There was indoor plumbing (with both hot and cold water) and the electricity had been wired up here. The front door led to the top of old wooden stairs that led down to another door that was hidden in the back of the store – Toby gave both of his nieces a key to lock both the bottom and top doors to the loft.

He had showered them with his hugs and then led the twins upstairs, leaving them only to let them unpack and get settled in. As he wandered back downstairs into the somewhat busy store, he re-manned his position behind the counter and glanced at a small photo he kept under the glass on the counter. It was an old yellowed picture of him, his brother, and their father. Their father had passed on when they were the twins' ages . . . and then his brother had lost his wife just ten years ago, when the twins were six.

Toby rubbed his forehead in frustration. His brother had been devastated of course, but about a year after his sister-in-law had passed on, he had began to date a sweet woman who had a daughter of her own. At first, things had gone fine. The woman was just as much a mother to the twins as she was to her own (spoiled, fat, piggy) daughter and that had cemented his marriage to her. Then, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, the woman revealed her true colors . . . and they were far more hideous than a butterfly's.

She spoiled her own daughter incessantly and neglected the twins. She forced them to do any and all chores around the house in addition to their schoolwork. She showered love and affection on his brother, enough to keep him under her thumb and wrapped around her little finger and completely devoted to her. And soon the twins became what they were now.

Nyx, now closed off from the world, had once been so alive and bright. She had loved to explore and climb trees; she was adventurous and athletic when she was younger. Though her mother's death had shaken her, she had only used that grief to fuel her curiosity of the world. Her future had been so bright, for although not the best academically, she was a wonderful writer and had a talent for observations that made her science and English teachers exceedingly pleased with her. Now, the zest for life she once had held had vanished, and where the once small girl who had loved to play in the sunshine had been, there was now a girl who choose to stick to shadows and was happy being in the background, protecting her younger sister.

And Niemi! The poor youngest had once had a brilliant mind – she was a whiz at chess and strategy games. She had loved animals, and the family's dog had truly adored her. Her step-mother's abuse and neglect had taken the once thoughtful and openly loving girl to being a timid little mouse, one who always seemed to be waiting to be beaten away for offering her thoughts.

Toby sighed and offered a gruff hello to the customer who had come up to the counter, breaking him from his thoughts. He only hoped their time here would help them begin to heal.

* * *

><p><strong>There it is! You know the drill – read and review!<strong>


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